Prediction: Chelsea vs Liverpool

19th November 2011

With both sides pretty much out of the title race, the game at Stamford Bridge could have a big impact on teams’ top 4 aspirations. Chelsea enter the game in good spirits after bringing all three points from Ewood Park, whereas Liverpool could only muster a goalless draw against Swansea last time out.

Chelsea enter this match in confident mood, having returned to winning ways by beating Blackburn at Ewood Park and the victory over Rovers was just what the Blues needed after the somewhat disappointing run of results. Following an impressive start to the season, Chelsea suffered back to back defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal, while they also failed to beat weak Genk in the Champions League. However, if we take a look at all the games the Blues have played under Andre Villas-Boas, it is more than evident that team’s showings are better than last term, mostly thanks to young forwards Daniel Sturridge and Juan Manuel Mata, and resurgent Frank Lampard. The Blues have shown a massive improvement in their build-up play and if Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres hadn’t suffered from injury and lack of confidence respectively, the Blues would have scored even more than 24 goals in first 11 games. The most important thing is that confidence is back after the narrow win over Blackburn, whereas motivation is not going to be a problem. With Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge ready to feature, Michael Essien remains the only unavailable player.

Boosted by the good showings under Kenny Dalglish and heavy summer recruitment, Liverpool fans certainly had high hopes before this season started. The Reds have, indeed, showed a lot of potential at the start to the Premiership campaign, but have also struggled in some of the games, so they clearly don’t look like genuine title contenders. Back to back defeats to Stoke City and Tottenham certainly acted as a real blow to the players’ confidence, whereas home draws against newly promoted Norwich and Swansea also left a bad taste in the mouth. With Steven Gerrard still struggling with various injuries and most of the new signings playing well below their potential, it looks as though Kenny Dalglish’s side will need some more time to hit the ground running, and by the time when that happens Liverpool will have probably missed their chance to achieve Premier League success. Even if Luis Suarez and Jamie Carragher have recovered from their injuries, I don’t think the Reds are capable of getting something from this clash.

Conclusion

Chelsea have been playing really well of late and their wealth of experience could prove to be the key in this kind of match. Liverpool are still unable to give their best and it appears that they are becoming over-reliant on Luis Suarez, so the Blues should be able to record a victory if they manage to neutralize this threat.

Verdict: Home win Chelsea (1)

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: 888Sport